New Delhi, December 1 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday warned that the threat of biological weapons and bioterrorism is no longer theoretical, urging the international community to modernize global biosecurity frameworks under the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).
“Misuse by non-state actors is no longer a distant possibility. Bioterrorism is a serious concern that the international community has to be adequately prepared for,” Jaishankar said while addressing a two-day conference on “50 Years of the Biological Weapons Convention: Strengthening Biosecurity for the Global South.”
Pointing to critical structural inadequacies within the 50-year-old convention, the Minister noted that the BWC currently has no compliance system, no permanent technical body, and no mechanism to monitor emerging scientific developments. “These gaps must be bridged in order to strengthen confidence,” he stressed.
Reiterating India’s long-standing position, Jaishankar voiced support for stronger compliance and verification mechanisms designed for contemporary scientific realities. He said India also backs international cooperation for peaceful biological research and for the exchange of materials and technology.
He highlighted India’s proposal for a National Implementation Framework covering high-risk agent identification, oversight of dual-use research, domestic reporting, incident management, and continuous training. He emphasized that any assistance during biological emergencies must be fast, practical, and strictly humanitarian.
Reflecting on the BWC’s five decades, Jaishankar said its core principle—rejecting disease as a weapon—remains vital, but the convention must evolve to stay effective. “The next 50 years will demand concerted action. We must modernize the convention, keep pace with science, and strengthen global capacity so that all countries can detect, prevent, and respond to biological risks,” he said.
Affirming India’s commitment, he added: “India stands ready. We remain a trusted partner to the Global South and a committed supporter of global biosecurity.”
Jaishankar thanked international participants and expressed confidence that the conference discussions would contribute meaningfully to the upcoming Working Group session and Meeting of States Parties in Geneva next week.
During the event, he noted that the BWC, building on the Geneva Protocol a century ago, drew a clear moral and legal line: disease must never be used as a weapon. “Biology must serve peace, not advance harm. Even as science races ahead, the BWC remains the guardrail between innovation and misuse in the life sciences domain. But we must ask ourselves and the world a hard question: Will this norm stay strong for the next 50 years? The answer depends on the decisions we take now,” he said.
Observing that the international security environment has become increasingly uncertain, he noted that rapid scientific and technological advances have made sophisticated biotechnology tools more accessible, while drastically reducing the cost of sequencing and synthesis.
“Recent outbreaks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected each and every one of us, have imposed a steep learning curve for policymakers and practitioners alike. These developments have raised new questions to be considered in the context of the implementation of the BWC,” the Minister said.
He emphasized that whether a biological threat is natural, accidental, or deliberate, it moves quickly, disregards borders, and can overwhelm systems. “Public health and security may look like separate worlds. In reality, they actually reinforce each other. Systems that detect and contain natural outbreaks also help counter deliberate ones. Strong health systems are strong security systems,” he added.
Jaishankar stressed that no country can manage such threats alone and that while there is no single solution, international cooperation remains the closest to one. This, he said, is why the Global South must be central to the discussion.
He pointed out that many countries in the region still face major gaps—fragile healthcare systems, weak surveillance, limited laboratory capabilities, slow emergency responses, and unequal access to vaccines and medicines. “These are not just developmental issues. They are also global risks. If biosecurity is uneven, so is global safety. The Global South is the most vulnerable and has the most to gain from stronger biosecurity. It also has the most to contribute. Its voice must therefore shape the next 50 years of the BWC,” he said.
Reaffirming India’s commitment to full and effective implementation of the convention, Jaishankar highlighted the country’s progress over the last two decades. He noted that India has built strong capacities across public health, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and biosciences, earning its reputation as the “pharmacy of the world.”
“I urge you today to consider a few facts,” he said. “One, India makes 60 percent of the world’s vaccines. Two, India supplies over 20 percent of global generic medicines, with 60 percent of Africa’s generics coming from India. Three, India is home to nearly 11,000 biotech startups—up from just 50 in 2014—making it the world’s third-largest biotech startup ecosystem. Four, our healthcare investment has grown sharply, with major progress in digital health. Five, our research network—the ICMR, DBT labs, and advanced BSL-3 and BSL-4 facilities—can detect and respond to a wide range of biological threats,” Jaishankar added.
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